After two-stepping at Midnight Rodeo, spending all my money at Antone’s Record Shop, greeting 8-foot tall Willie Nelson, and watching the glamorous motion picture “Country Strong”, I have come to realize country music is a different experience for everyone. Country has a variety of meanings.
https://storify.com/samanthagodfrey/samantha-godfrey-s-not-what-she-expected-country-e
Filed under Austin, Class work, Classic Country, Country Pop, Dancing, Movies and TV, New Traditionalism, Storify
My four chosen experiences
1. Watch Nashville
2. Watch ACM Awards
3. Go two-stepping
4. Explore some classic country records
This semester I have had quite the experience with country music. I have done things I wouldn’t normally do as well as things that I have been doing for forever. When this class started I was a casual consumer of country music. I knew the hits and the classics, but not much about the culture. It wasn’t my go-to radio station of choice and I rarely wore my cowboy boots besides on game days. Now that it is May, I don’t necessarily think my music taste has completely shifted but I do think I have a greater appreciation for the culture and history of country music.
My journey with country music this semester.
https://storify.com/jujstaine/country-music-experiences-reflection
I am a huge fan of Nashville, the television show, solely because Connie Britton is the star and Friday Night Lights is my favorite TV show of all time, but tuning in and paying closer attention to the country music elements was actually really fun. I loved paying closer attention to the set when they played at the Grand Ole Opry and just noticing how sounding “pop” is not a good thing. The elements we studied in class were actually coming to life on my TV.
My favorite thing I did for this project though wasn’t watching Nashville, it was going to look at records. I went to my favorite record store on South 1st, End of an Ear. I actually ended up going on Record Store Day and it was packed. While I ended up leaving with a Beach Boys album (sorry!!!) I did look in the country section and was pleased to see a bunch of names I now recognized from Loretta Lynn to Johnny Cash, I felt way more knowledgable of country music and was proud to know more about music in general. There’s something awesome about looking at actual records instead of just downloading music to my phone that makes me truly appreciate the history of the music so this was my favorite experience of the semester!
My other two experiences were two-stepping and watching the ACM Awards. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo to commemorate my two-steppping efforts because my phone died that night, but I went to Midnight Rodeo with a bunch of my friends. We aren’t the best at that type of dancing and we didn’t go with any boys so it might not have been our favorite experience but I am glad I got to check it off my bucket list (and got a chance to chance to bust out my cowboy boots.) And the ACM Awards were fun to watch this year, especially since they were in Dallas! I actually had a few friends who ended up getting tickets somehow. I always love country award shows for the celebrity watching- especially my favorites Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert so I had a great time watching it. Since it was the 50th anniversary of the show, there was a particular emphasis on the history of country music that seemed very relevant to me because of this class, too!
All in all, I have really enjoyed my country music experience this semester. As a fan of music I am glad to say that I know more about one of the most unique genres that exists!
Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify
I knew that coming to school in Austin would be an experience. Coming from San Antonio, I was highly influenced by my hispanic background and the traditions of my own city. I always had the mindset that living in Austin would be an absolute culture shock. What I realized this semester is that these two cities, though very different, share one thing: country music.
Country music is has always held a high position in my life. I grew up listening to it and two-stepping was something you learned as a toddler. Seeing all the available country music opportunities in Austin made it a welcoming community. Unfortunately, my transition into college life has been rough, therefore I spent more time at home on the weekends rather than exploring all that Austin had to offer. That does not mean that I did not notice the country music influences around me. Though I did not go out and get to do as much around Austin as I had hoped, I used what free time I had to expand my country music experiences.
https://storify.com/GabrielleH/country-music-is-everywhere
I do think that being in this Rhetoric of Country Music class has made me more aware of the role country music plays in everyday life. For one of my friends’ birthdays we went to Midnight Rodeo. We donned our dresses and cowboy boots, which was a normal outfit for myself but not the particular friend who was from Florida. I instantly noticed that she was changing her normal preferences to fit in and go two-stepping. She would have never listened to it in her spare time, but when thinking of a good place to have fun, two-stepping was her first choice. Sam Riggs was performing that night and it was an absolutely amazing show. This just showed me that country music, though people stereotype it as sad, is also what people look at as fun. Boots are essential when you got to UT, and they symbolize the carefree fun time that comes with living in Texas.
Watching television now constantly has me relating everything to country music. I started watching Nashville, which is all about country music. However, before this class I had no desire to watch it except for the fact that I loved Connie Britton. I was hooked as soon as I started. It was an amazing view into a world I realized I knew nothing about. Of course it is fictional, but that does not mean everything that goes on in the show is completely invalid. Viewers get to see the backstage view that otherwise is a mystery. I understand the added drama draws in viewers, but I think of that as a good thing. Once again, people who have not otherwise been exposed to country music are avid watchers of the show. Sure they might enjoy the drama and spectacle of the show, but country music is influencing their lives whether or not they realize it.
My favorite time of the year in San Antonio was rodeo season. I have gone to the rodeo almost every year of my life. This year I went to go see Hunter Hayes. Even before the performance began I noticed all the country music influences in the events. They used clips from country songs to pump the crowd up and get them involved. When Hunter came on stage, I found myself analyzing the performance. I noticed the country influences of other artists, and also how he could be considered more country pop. I listen to country music differently after this class. The lyrics, instrumentation, and delivery are all components I find myself recognizing on songs that I have listened to for years. I see this as an advantage. I am a journalism major so this training to look deeper and find a message is a great quality to have developed.
Another thing I noticed was that I was much more excited for the Academy of Country Music Awards. They took place in Dallas which made me feel pride for my home state. I watched the performances intently. I listened to each song from the categories and compared how they were similar and different. I can’t help but feel nothing but pride when an event like this takes place somewhere so close to me. One of my friends got to go to the show and I was extremely jealous. However, I realized something. Watching the performances live would be amazing, but the song doesn’t change. The lyrics are the same whether you are in a giant arena or a small dorm room. Country music isn’t about where you hear it, but about what you hear.
This semester has flown by, but my time here in Austin is nowhere near over. I have a few more years to expand my country music experiences. Hopefully once I am more comfortable here I will stay on the weekends and explore museums or iconic country music spots. I do know that Austin’s country music audience is large. Sure people joke about it being awful and annoying. Little do they know that it influences their life too. Boots are essential when you got to UT, and they symbolize the carefree fun time that comes with living in Texas. These are country staples and they find their way on people who don’t even listen to the music. They play country songs at sporting events. Whether people realize it, country music is making it into their lives. Country music can not hurt anyone, if anything it only opens people’s eyes to different ideas about life.
Filed under Austin, Awards, Live Music, Reflection, Texas, Uncategorized
This class has really taught me a whole lot about country music that I didn’t know before. Through experiences such as two-stepping at Midnight Rodeo, seeing the Willie Nelson statue in downtown Austin, reading about Billy Bob’s in the Texas Music Magazine and watching the ACM Awards, I have earned a great deal of respect for the entire country music scene and view country music in a whole new light.
https://storify.com/k_schlueter/experiences-of-country-music
Throughout this semester I have learned so much about country music and the whole country music scene in general We have covered everything from the roots of country music, to the greats like George Strait, to good ol’ Texas country, brand new country and beyond. I felt like I knew a lot about country music coming into this class, especially being from Cowtown, or Fort Worth, Texas. I could have never imagined just how much about county music I have learned from this class. Doing the experiences for this class have also really helped me to appreciate just how much country music has had an impact not just on me, but on the entire music community.
One of the best experiences I have had with country music, not just this semester, but in general, was two-stepping at a few dance halls in Austin and Fort Worth. I think one of the most important things about country music is that you are able to two-step to it. Not only was learning how to two step fun for me, I also enjoyed just watching people dance around the floor. Anytime a “classic” song came on, there was a whole mix of young and old people who seemed to appear out of nowhere, singing the words and dancing along, it was a really nice experience to see.
Speaking of dance halls, the article I read over Billy Bob’s was actually a really great article. It’s always a bit nostalgic to read anything pertaining to Fort Worth. As I mentioned earlier, I was born and raised just outside of Fort Worth, so I’ve spent a lot of time in the Stockyards and been to the Rodeo and Billy Bob’s a good number of times. I felt like I was an expert of everything to do with Fort Worth coming into the class. However, on one of the very first weeks of class, we read a chapter from “Honky Tonk Debutante” that was all about Fort Worth, and I learned a whole bunch of stuff about the history of Fort Worth that I never knew about, so that was something really cool to me, and it made me really appreciate this class.
Another thing I did this semester was actually sit down and watch the ACM awards. I used to watch that every year with my grandparents, but hadn’t watched in a few years when the whole “Bro-country” music scene started to take over. Even still, I sat down and watched it this year, and was actually pleasantly surprised by the show. Now, that doesn’t mean I agree with everyone that won some of the awards, but I think that happens with any awards show I watch, but still, I felt like the ACM show had a really good mix of old and new country. They even kicked off the show with one of my favorites, the King of Country, George Strait. I watched this year with a more open mind to some of the newer artist that performed, and actually found myself enjoying their performances as well as those of my favorites like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson.
Overall, this class has taught me so much about the history and the meaning behind a lot of things relating to country music. We learned about everything from themes that frequently appear, to the lyrics used, to the structure of the songs. Now, every time I listen to country music I find myself actually trying to find the meaning of the song, instead of just listening for the fun of it. I have a whole new sense of appreciation for country music thanks to this class, and I find myself enjoying every little experience I have with it. From country standards like two-stepping, to something as simple as seeing the statue of Willie Nelson in the middle of busy downtown Austin, this class has opened my eyes to a whole new world of country music and I know that this newfound sense of appreciation will stick with me for a long time.
Filed under Austin, Awards, Class work, Classic Country, Country Pop, Dancing, Reflection, Storify
My country music experiences were unexpected, but so worth it. I devoured chicken fried steak at Threadgill’s in Austin, watched my favorite artists rock the stage at the ACMs, was blown away by Jason Aldean’s electric concert, and was stunned by Carrie Underwood in “The Sound of Music.”
My country music experiences were unexpected, but so worth it. I devoured chicken fried steak at Threadgill’s in Austin, watched my favorite artists rock the stage at the ACMs, was blown away by Jason Aldean’s electric concert, and was stunned by Carrie Underwood in “The Sound of Music.”
My country music experiences were unexpected, but so worth it. I devoured chicken fried steak at Threadgill’s in Austin, watched my favorite artists rock the stage at the ACMs, was blown away by Jason Aldean’s electric concert, and was stunned by Carrie Underwood in “The Sound of Music.”
https://storify.com/sconine/country-music-experiences
Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify
